Did the NSA really want Snowden to stay in Russia and not return to the U.S.A?

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Tuesday I posted some links to the Ed Snowden/NSA leak case: Ted talk videos by Snowden and an NSA representative.

Wednesday I spent every free moment writing a paper about the case from the perspective of the Washington Post and whether it did the right thing in printing the materials. I got it turned in on time for my class.

I considered putting that paper up on the blog, since I used all my time for that instead of thinking of blog topics. But how many of you want to read my seven pages of meanderings and two pages of references.

But in deciding not to do that, I looked up some additional information on Snowden. I didn’t really know where he was today. Back in 2013 he was granted a year’s asylum by Russia. Apparently that was extended another three years in 2014 and he is still in Russia.

In finding that out I scanned some of the history of his travels. Snowden’s flight in 2013 had him going from Hong Kong to Russia to Cuba and into Latin America, where several countries had offered him asylum. But the U.S. State department pressured all the countries he might go through from Russia to Latin America to not let him land, so he couldn’t leave Russia,

This was stupid if they really wanted to capture him. The best way to capture him was let him receive asylum in Latin America, and then use their contact there to get it revoked and have him returned to the U.S. Making him stay in Russia was stupid. Russia is the one country the U.S. would have no clout to get its way.

Which makes me suddenly ask: Is there a reason they wanted him to stay in Russia, and not come back to the United States?